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Has anyone heard anything good or bad about the Brute 10 gal compressor that Nerobro just bought? I can't imagine its worse than the 8 gal Harbor Freight compressor I've had my eye on. I used to get by just fine with a 6 gal Craftsman pancake compressor so I don't think I need anything bigger, I just want an oiled compressor that isn't louder than a train. Also, just to be sure, when Harbor Frieght compressors break, they just stop working right? Just don't want something that's going to blow up my garage one day.
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Nov 7, 2009 04:48
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If a pancake compressor can run my lovely $15 HF air ratchet and my lovely $30 Kobalt impact, I should be able to get by with a larger but equally lovely compressor. The most I ever do is loosen 5 properly torqued lug nuts at a time and then the compressor gets a break while I pull the tire off. I'd love to get a 60 gallon compressor and some good air tools, but they'd just end up taking up a bunch of space in my garage.
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Nov 7, 2009 21:29
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I'm almost afraid to ask what you would use an 8 hp air grinder for. I have a lovely riding mower with an 8 hp motor.
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Nov 8, 2009 07:02
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Uthor posted:Christmas tool question edition: Every year Lowe's sells a Christmas light tool that (among other things) has an inductive voltage checker. I've never tried it, but supposedly you plug the strand in and the tool will make a tone if you hold it anywhere on the string that's receiving power, and then you just swap out the bulb where it stops. They're usually sold out by this time of year, but they make standalone inductive voltage alarm thingies that should be in the tool department and work just as good if not better.
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Dec 11, 2009 20:33
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Has anyone ever used a Thru-Ratchet? I was given some crazy Kobalt 110 piece set that goes up to 1.25 inch sockets but I'm not sold on the design. I'm strongly considering returning it and getting something more like a Gear Wrench for even tighter spaces. Thoughts?
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Mar 19, 2010 18:37
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FogHelmut posted:Yeah, its a 2008 Cobalt. Do you really need an ultra-low profile socket? Yes. I helped my girlfriend change the oil on her Sunfire way too many times before we got that socket. The only thing she needed help with was unscrewing that stupid filter an eighth of a turn at a time with channel locks from alternating directions. After we finally broke down and bought that exact socket we would argue over who got to effortlessly defeat the evil oil filter this time.
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Nov 9, 2010 22:06
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Wouldn't soldered wires have to already be under tension for the joint to even experience vibration, much less break because of it? Coincidentally, soldering a new speaker wire to replace the broken one in my car door has convinced me to buy a soldering gun to replace my Wal-Mart soldering iron (it was all I could find open the night I bought it) that takes many minutes to heat up any wires thicker than 24 gauge.
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Nov 18, 2010 01:18
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I use leaky HVAC ducts for the rooms above my garage. Is this an attached garage? 120v electric heaters are limited by the 15 amp breaker they're plugged into and can only put out ~4,600 BTUs which would probably warm an insufficiently heated area that big, but not if its the only source of heat and especially not if it lacks proper insulation. If you can run a gas line to the area, Lowe's has heaters that go up to 30,000 BTUs which is about half the output of my furnace. edit: Skyssx posted:Pinhole leaks on high side of pump, resulting in continuous cycling of unloader valve. I'm pretty sure my dad's Delta has that problem. Its annoying at times but I can usually play with the wand a bit and get it to stop its cycling fit. I actually sell pressure washers at Lowe's but I don't ever tear them apart so I'd like to get your opinion on this: Guy brings back his $1,000 John Deere pressure washer saying that he used it six times in six months and it stopped working. Judging from the metal corrosion he meant either six years or he left it outside that whole time. Even worse, the pump oil (which is usually oil colored) was bright pink and looked more like nail polish. Best we can figure out is that he tried to use some sort of "detergent" clearly not meant for use in a pressure washer and it ate through the seals and contaminated the pump oil. Thoughts? Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Dec 13, 2010 |
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Dec 13, 2010 02:42
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Torpedo heaters aren't supposed to be used indoors, so I guess it depends on your garage. The wall style heaters that are usually available in natural gas, propane or both are typically vent-free and your biggest problem becomes moisture from the exhaust making things moldy if it never gets a chance to go anywhere else. Propane wall heaters also tend to want a 100+ pound tank, not the 20 pound tank that grills and torpedo heaters run off of. Also, keep in mind that any ignition source in a garage is supposed to be kept at least 18 inches (I think, might want to look that up) off the ground to keep any gas fumes from setting your shins on fire. Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Dec 13, 2010 |
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Dec 13, 2010 03:46
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Usually once someone breaks the glass on a garage door, they reach in and pull the cord to disconnect the door from the opener and then just push the whole door open so you might want to look into how hard that is with your setup. Some people recommend removing the cord but that doesn't really help if the lever it connects to is accessible enough.
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Aug 26, 2013 21:10
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Brain Issues posted:I really like these for organizing my sockets. http://www.amazon.com/Hansen-HNE9302-Metric-Socket-Tray/dp/B009RTJO4I/ I just started using these because Lowe's is selling them for $5 per 3 piece set so you can have both metric and SAE for under  .Metric SAE I also just picked up a set of Tongue and Groove Pliers because they had a set of 3 for under $10.
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Sep 4, 2013 01:28
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Older, non high-efficiency furnaces do pull make up air from the room they're installed in. My furnace from 1982 has open burners right behind the maintenance cover/grate. That being said, it is also installed in my garage because code allows for furnaces and water heaters so long as minimum height of combustion sources (the burner) are maintained. My builder accomplished this by building a platform for the water heater and putting a few cinder blocks under the furnace.
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Dec 7, 2013 21:57
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Motronic posted:Yes. And most hanging heaters that weren't made in the last 15 years still have standing pilot lights, long after home heaters went to electronic ignition. What are you getting all worked up about? I was agreeing with you in principle that, unlike what other people were saying, a furnace is safe and legal to install in a garage so long as you mount it high enough (usually a few inches off the ground) that the open combustion chamber on the used $100 unit you suggested isn't going to set heavier than air gas fumes on fire. Building codes aren't minutiae. Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Dec 8, 2013 |
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Dec 8, 2013 01:27
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Hypnolobster posted:More expensive and you can't be tipping them all the way over, but they're the best socket trays I've ever used. Lowe's has nearly identical socket trays in SAE and Metric. Buy both sets and you have a 6 tray set for a total of $10.
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Jan 12, 2014 01:03
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I have a folding ladder similar to that. It is perfectly safe when extended straight out but it has a lot more flex to it than an extension ladder usually does which can be unnerving when up that high.
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May 2, 2014 02:30
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I've heard that the battery chargers that tell you when they're done charging can keep batteries connected indefinitely because they shut themselves off when they're done. The ones that just have an idiot light to tell you there is a battery connected will fry your battery though (which will then destroy the charger. Ask me how I know that.)
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May 3, 2014 21:35
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bung posted:I bought the harbor freight creeper and got it for about $22 with a coupon. It's the same one Advance Auto sells for $50. I haven't tried it out yet. I have one of these. Rolling over the drop-light cord and the old rug I keep under my Jeep hardly slows it down.
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May 31, 2014 07:28
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Has anybody here used Harbor Freight's flare nut wrenches? Most of the reviews say that they explode trying to loosen bleeder screws and that I should probably spend double the money on a set of Kobalt wrenches.
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Jul 2, 2014 21:45
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Splizwarf posted:I can confirm the HF ones are loving garbage; unfortunately Craftsman/Husky/Kobalt didn't turn out any better when I needed flare wrenches. drat it, I already have one of those and wanted an excuse to buy new tools. Maybe I'll get a set of line wrenches and return them when I don't need them.
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Jul 3, 2014 04:21
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I don't know if you own or plan to own a boat, but I refuse to have a garage that won't fit a boat sideways along the back wall and still have room to walk between it and the cars. Also its much easier to get a boat through a single two car door than two single car doors. If you don't live in an area with winter and navigable waterways then disregard this post.
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Jul 7, 2014 07:07
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door Door door posted:What's a good code reader? I don't need bluetooth or realtime monitoring. If you have an android phone, a $20 bluetooth dongle from Amazon and the $5 Torque app will read/clear codes and allow realtime monitoring of just about anything on your car. Plus it only costs $25. If you have an iPhone, ignore everything I just said.
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Jul 8, 2014 06:10
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revmoo posted:We're in-town and our natural gas supply is great. But I'd be kicking myself if I dropped 4 large on a genset and then an earthquake hit (New Madrid fault FTW) and we couldn't get power because gas lines were disrupted for several weeks. You're worrying about this to the point of not seeing the forest for the trees. Most installed generators use NG because there is always a reliable supply available. I've never had natural gas service go out and neither have most people because by the time infrastructure is damaged to the point that NG can't be delivered people are already talking about evacuations (forced in the case of a gas leak). On the other hand, very few gas stations have backup generators so there goes the option to refuel a gasoline or diesel generator and LP isn't going to be much easier to obtain. Gas/diesel doesn't keep forever and to run an LP generator for a week you would probably need a tank on par with the ones people without NG service use. By not going with NG you're committing yourself to continually replacing the unused fuel you're storing on your property so it doesn't go bad, being probably unable to refuel during the emergency you're buying the generator for, and running the risk that the tank will be empty from the generator's monthly self-test when you actually need it (ask the guys at my local Lowe's about that one. Tank went bone dry and nobody knew until the store lost power and nothing happened.)
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Jul 15, 2014 00:59
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EKDS5k posted:Store it in jerry cans, dump it in your car after a few weeks, and then just fill the jerry can when you go to gas up. Keep multiple cans and rotate them, and you'll always have some on hand. Using a Generac 8,000 watt generator as an example because size wise its on the low end for an installed generator and the high end for a portable, I found one that consumes 7.5 gallons of gasoline in 11 hours at 50% load. To run for a week (low end of what the poster was looking for) that would require just under 115 gallons of gas. That's 23 5-gallon cans to keep stacked up like cordwood and routinely cycle through the car because fuel stabilizer is only rated to work for 2 years and still won't really protect from ethanol induced problems (although those should be minimal since the cans would presumably be full)...or just get a NG unit instead of going out of your way to get a generator that is more work to keep ready and to run. That aside, one day I'm going to open a gas station that actually has a backup generator so during blackouts I can have everyone in town lined up like in Maximum Overdrive  .
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Jul 15, 2014 07:27
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revmoo posted:Oh that reminds me, we have sump pumps in our basement and garage. Another good reason to get a genny. Generac makes pretty decent generators, but I would also consider Kohler (yes, the people that make sinks, they also make damned good engines). They are a bit higher quality and have a lower response time and aren't that much more expensive. Of course its up to you whether the added cost is worth it to you since Generac is no slouch either.
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Jul 15, 2014 18:56
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melon cat posted:I have a small garage, but I'd really like to have a mitre saw and a table saw for woodworking. Is there a such thing as a decent mitre saw/table saw combo? Or are they all doomed to suck like many multi-function appliances are? I'm thinking something along the lines of this Bosch GTM12 Combination Saw, or the Dewalt DW743N. I'm very happy with the $100 mitre saw I store on top of my $80 table saw. They aren't precise enough to make wooden machines with moving parts but they've been fine for around the house woodworking and probably take up the same room as a combo unit.
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Jul 18, 2014 05:27
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Uthor posted:Yes, though there are two, fairly large, and there are the appropriate holes on the new rotors. Still, wasn't planning on reusing them. This video saved my life when doing my friend's rotors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxQk7Pz_vfc First Attempt: PB Blaster and a Harbor Freight impact driver resulted in two screws out, two screws hosed up, and a broken impact driver. Second Attempt (after watching video): PB Blaster followed by the 2 hammer trick from the video followed by a Northern Tool impact driver got the remaining 4 screws out in under 5 minutes. The 2 mangled screws (one of which had the HF impact bit sheered off inside) were removed using my $20 air hammer.
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Sep 21, 2014 10:23
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Preoptopus posted:Personally, after the bit breaks, I get angry and its torch time. I can also confirm that Mapp gas won't get hot enough to get those screws to loosen.
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Sep 21, 2014 19:16
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StormDrain posted:I bought the cheapest oil catch pan that sealed up and I hate it. It's too much extra work just to catch it and the lid broke and leaks always. http://smile.amazon.com/Hopkins-FloTool-11838-Oil-Drain/dp/B000AMGYNA/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1411405266&sr=8-17&keywords=oil+drain+pan I have that same pan (the first one, except mine has Blitz's name on it instead) and it is indeed complete garbage. I still use it but pour it into a 5 gallon kerosene container because gas/kerosene/diesel cans are the only thing I trust Blitz to make that can actually seal properly. I am interested in trying one of these though since they have a pair of good reviews over at Northern Tool.
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Sep 22, 2014 20:58
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:Go behind like, any office building or warehouse and score an empty water jug for free. Double post, but I think water cooler jugs have a deposit on them so be aware that you might be stealing a nearly inconsequential amount of money from someone. I think those crates for 2-litre bottles also have something like a $5 deposit on them but I have a big stack of them at home because the grocery store keeps insisting that I take them if I'm stocking up on Pepsi though.
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Sep 22, 2014 21:01
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Raluek posted:I've had good luck with the HF drain pan that looks like this: Harbor Freight posted:...holding 8.5 quarts in the horizontal position or 18.5 quarts when vertical... That aside, if I had a company that made oil pans, I'd be ashamed that HF can make a pan that seals and nobody else can. Coke/Pepsi make how many millions of cheap and disposable plastic bottles that seal properly and yet nobody can make a pan that doesn't leak oil?
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Sep 22, 2014 21:47
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Uthor posted:-I really need to get an impact driver. Suggestion? I took some pictures of my Harbor Freight impact driver while trying to get 4 rotor screws out (only got out one that day). In order of events:    The one I got for $12.99 from Northern Tool didn't break when doing the 5 undamaged screws that were still in when I started the second day, but I attribute that partially to the magic of the hammer trick (go buy a ball-peen hammer from Lowe's/HD to hit with your BFH/claw-hammer. You can return it afterwards if you really don't plan on using it again). If you don't have a Northern Tool nearby, you might want to try a HF impact as they can be somewhat expensive elsewhere, but I would have a backup ready to go and DEFINITELY STOP USING IT IF THE BIT STARTS TO TWIST. I knew better, but I still sheered the bit off. Twice  .
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Sep 23, 2014 08:11
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Cat Hatter posted:I have that same pan (the first one, except mine has Blitz's name on it instead) and it is indeed complete garbage. I still use it but pour it into a 5 gallon kerosene container because gas/kerosene/diesel cans are the only thing I trust Blitz to make that can actually seal properly. I am interested in trying one of these though since they have a pair of good reviews over at Northern Tool. Quoting myself from earlier because I decided to buy/review the oil drain pan that I linked in that post. I ended up getting it from Advance because its cheaper (and they usually have an internet coupon too). The first thing to note is that this thing is loving enormous:  Even if the seals end up being poo poo, they're all above the surface of the 6 gallon capacity when in storage:  The main plug has a rubber seal in it! It can still be overtightened to the point that it pops back out, but it takes a fair amount of force:  The cap for draining the jug doesn't have a rubber seal, but at least I wasn't able to overtighten it by hand:  This is just after draining 6 quarts out of my Jeep. Features worth noting include the ridge for draining oil filters, the area for storing the main cap, four drain holes that allow max drain speed but still keep dropped oil plugs from falling in or even clogging the drain, and the two rectangular cut outs on the side are for oil plug storage (I'd already put the plug back in the engine). These cutouts are all duplicated on the bottom so you can stack several containers if you own a shop or are crazy:  I'd feel better about reviewing this thing if I had about 4.5 more gallons of oil to bring it closer to the maximum capacity. Never mind, I found some:  Yeah. Take it all, you filthy bitch:  Now to hold the whole thing upside down for a few minutes and check for leaks:  Success! No leaks from anything, not even the tiny air vent cap. Cardboard R. Lee Ermey approves. 
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Sep 25, 2014 04:27
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iForge posted:one of these and a 5 gallon gas/diesel/kerosene can is the best way to go. Thats basically what I used to do (except not with a $50 drain pan  ) but a pan that is also a sealable container removes the need to pour the pan into something else for transport and cuts down on the cleaning needed to store the pan vertically. It isn't a huge deal, but it adds up over time.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:23
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Raluek posted:There's always the good ole standby: I used to use this and a funnel to refill the quart jugs I had just emptied into my engine. Huge pain in the rear end, especially if you have to clean it out so you can store it on its side to decrease its footprint. I understand that different people use/prefer different methods of oil disposal and there is no solution that is perfect for everybody. The reason I posted that review is so that the lazy people who prefer their oil pan to also be a container finally have an oil pan that doesn't leak oil all over your car. It doesn't hurt that my old 5 gallon jug could only fit 3 oil changes and this new pan does 4 since I have 2 cars and try to change their oil at the same time.
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Sep 25, 2014 08:31
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Safety Dance posted:No. That's not how metal works. In fact, turning it down to zero is slightly detrimental to the longevity of a torque wrench. This gets said a lot, and makes sense, but I read an article in FourWheeler that had empirical data showing a torque wrench losing accuracy over time when stored at 70 ft lbs (I just wish they would have had a control stored at a lower setting to be more conclusive). The article: http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-1307-torquing-testing-torque-wrenches/ (confirms that HF wrench is plenty accurate) The important part:  ...I agree not to put it at zero though; put it near, but not at, the lowest setting its designed for.
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Oct 22, 2014 22:06
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StormDrain posted:How so? I'd expect that the forces and temperature not enough to make a difference, but I don't understand how being at zero would be detrimental. I thought the spring would lose it's strength due to creep, and since it's not very long that could cause some real changes in the torque reported. From 0-250 is less than an inch of compression. It's been nearly 10 years since I was in my materials science course, but I still understand the stress/strain diagram. Something about the ball that makes the wrench click falling out or unseating or something.
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Oct 22, 2014 22:59
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Safety Dance posted:Finally, there's ridiculous n=3 studies that don't demonstrate anything in a statistically meaningful manner. Three data points is better than no data points, especially since the whole demonstration was prompted by a guy who tests and calibrates torque wrenches for a living that wanted to show that the guys who design torque wrenches know what they're talking about.
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Oct 23, 2014 09:23
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stinch posted:http://www.norbar.com/en-gb/News-Events/Blog/entryid/396/torque-wrench-calibration I'm willing to bet that torque wrenches used in manufacturing are designed/built a bit differently than ones designed for home/mechanic use, but I'm still glad you posted that as it at least provides more authority than "guy on the internet said so". I think we can at least all agree not to adjust the wrench past the bottom off the scale though, either for storage or carelessness.
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Oct 27, 2014 02:03
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What are you guys building with those? A 1/1 scale model of the USS Gerald R. Ford?
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Nov 6, 2014 06:12
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 14:08 |
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BraveUlysses posted:Got any info how to do that? I might have the manual still but they're usually useless for HF tools. Loosen the handle the way you would if letting a car down and then pump the handle a few times with something (someone's foot) on the pad.
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Nov 7, 2014 19:33
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